New Potato & Chickpea Chaat

Here, a can of chickpeas is put to fabulous use with hot buttery potatoes, a flourish of shallots, and a smoldering slick of tamarind. Classically, it’s finished with a handful of crunchy savory chickpea noodles called "sev." 

New Potato & Chickpea Chaat (Aloo Chana Chaat)

Serves 4

• 1/2cup dates or 8, pitted
• 3teaspoons tamarind paste
• Salt
• 2tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 1pound 6 ounces new potatoes
• 2tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1teaspoon cumin seeds, roughly ground
• 1/2teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1teaspoon ground ginger
• 1serrano chile, finely chopped
• One14-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1large shallot, finely diced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Large handful of cilantro, chopped
• Handful of thin sev (fried chickpea noodles)

1. Prepare the date and tamarind chutney first. Blend the dates together with the tamarind paste and a pinch of salt and just under 1/2 cup of water, then leave to one side.
2. Mix the yogurt with a couple of tablespoons of water until you can drizzle it using a spoon, then leave to one side. Wash and boil the potatoes for 15 minutes, until they are tender and a knife can slip through them easily. Drain, tip out onto a plate, and crush them slightly with a fork or the bottom of a sturdy cup.
3. Put the butter into a wide-bottomed frying pan over a medium heat. When melted, add the ground cumin seeds, black pepper, ginger, chili, and 2/3 teaspoon of salt. Stir, then add the potatoes. Leave the potatoes to crisp and char for around 5 minutes, to heat through. Toss together and throw in the chickpeas, shallots, and lemon juice. Then add the date and tamarind chutney. Stir to mix and take off the heat.
4. Serve warm in individual plates or bowls with a couple of dollops of yogurt, a scattering of cilantro, and sev.

https://food52.com/recipes/64793-new-potato-chickpea-chaat-aloo-chana-chaat